1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of medical devices. More specifically, it relates to an implantable neuronal prosthetic and method of manufacture thereof comprised of biocompatible cubic silicon carbide.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The brain machine interface (BMI) offers therapeutic options to relieve many individuals suffering from central nervous system (CNS) or peripheral nervous system (PNS) disabilities due to disease or trauma. The central component of the BMI system is the neuronal prosthetic which interacts within the brain with the body's electrophysiological signals. Implantable neuronal prosthetics have the ability to receive electrical signals directly from neurons or muscles and to deliver electrical signals to these same cells, providing a means for a closed loop BMI systems. These devices are unfortunately still regulated to experimental BMI systems due to a severe long term in vivo reliability issue. Specifically, device failure over time is thought to arise from lowered material biocompatibility that activates the immune response of the body. For example, the “foreign body” response from the support cells in the CNS, the glia, escalates the levels of harsh chemicals in the implant area and leads to the eventual encapsulation of the device. Not only is the glial response unsuitable, but BMI electrode devices are extremely vulnerable to changes in impedance, and the resulting encapsulation cause the devices to fail within months after encapsulation.
Accordingly, what is needed is an implantable neuronal prosthetic and method of manufacture thereof that is capable of being implanted in the body for extended periods of time without failure. However, in view of the prior art considered as a whole at the time the invention was made, it was not obvious to those of ordinary skill how to provide such a neuronal prosthetic.